Sky Curtain: A Review of Historical Foes and the Secrets of Ministers

Wang Xi slumped into the chair, on the verge of tears.

Looking back, to celebrate his impending riches, he spent a whopping thirty-eight yuan on a plate of braised chicken rice.

That's three days' worth of food expenses for him.

"What a disaster... If I had known the system would steal my money, I would never have added that braised pork brothel..."

"I'm feeling tired today and don't want to update my videos."

Wang Xi rummaged through the cardboard box for a long time and finally found the old lady's pickled cabbage instant noodles.

Wang Xi skillfully opened a live streaming platform and clicked into a treasure appraisal live stream that he often watched.

The host's name is Tingchi, a professional antique appraiser who looks refined but has a sharp tongue.

At the old man's insistence, Tingchi performed for a long time in front of the Shang Dynasty Ultraman jade carving.

"Sir, listen to me. First of all, this is Ultraman, and secondly, this isn't jade, it's glass."

Wang Xi laughed so hard he almost choked on his noodles, nearly spitting them out of his nostrils.

"Haha, these netizens are so talented."

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"Since I'm just killing time anyway, why don't I join the online chat?"

After waiting a while, I was lucky; the screen flashed and the video call connected quickly.

"Hello, hello fellow viewer." On the other end of the screen, Ting Chi adjusted his glasses. "You know the rules, right?"

"Let's flip it over and look at the bottom first. There's a QR code there, so let's skip it and not waste time."

"Hello, host." Wang Xi casually waved the agate cup on the table in front of the camera. "This cup is... uh, passed down from my ancestors, they say it's a family heirloom. Can you tell me, how many steamed buns is this thing worth?"

Ting Chi glanced at the screen casually.

In the picture, Wang Xi is holding a bronze agate cup with an animal head design.

The cup is a translucent dark red color, shaped like an animal horn, with a lifelike beast's head carved at the bottom, and golden metal inlaid at the beast's mouth.

"Hey, it looks pretty nice. Come on, hold it steady, let me flip it over and take a look." Ting Chi yawned and gave instructions.

Wang Xi turned the cup halfway around.

Ting Chi glanced at it, his body stiffened, and he suddenly sat up straight, leaning closer to the screen to look at it.

"Wait... flip it over again, turn it slowly." Tingchi stared intently.

Wang Xi did as instructed, slowly turning the animal head side to face the camera.

At this moment, sharp-eyed viewers in Tingchi's live stream room had already started making a fuss.

[What does Tingchi say? Is it 99% rare?]

[I'm just guessing, this is from the Western Zhou Dynasty, from last week's Western Zhou period.]

Ignoring the teasing comments in the live chat, Ting Chi asked urgently, "Do you have a magnifying glass with you?"

Wang Xi was a little confused. "A magnifying glass?"

"Never mind if you don't have a magnifying glass. Just bring the cup closer, as close to the camera as possible, and make sure it's in focus."

Wang Xi did as instructed and held the cup up to the computer camera.

"Yes, just like that, stay still." Ting Chi's voice grew louder. "Now, turn on your phone's flashlight. Shine the light from inside the cup, from behind that beast head, towards the front! Quickly!"

The Tingchi live stream room was already buzzing with excitement.

Brothers, have we accidentally stumbled into a royal game?

[Will it end up at the Southern Heavenly Gate this time?]

Snow begins to fall in the spring courtyard!

Tingchi stared intently at the screen, completely ignoring the comments.

Wang Xi held a cup in one hand, turned on the flashlight, and a strong white light shone directly into the cup.

The cup, which was originally just a dark red color, suddenly burst into a dazzling blood-red light under the strong light.

Tingchi rubbed his face hard.

"Brother... tell me honestly, where did you get this cup from?"

Wang Xi felt a little uneasy at his words, "Passed down from the true ancestors..."

"How about this, let's not worry about whether it's a family heirloom or not..."

"Hey bro, here's what I suggest. I recommend you open the map app on your phone."

"Find the nearest museum to you."

"You'll also receive a banner. Of course, the prize money might not be much."

Wang Xi was shocked. Had he really gotten away with it?

Wait a minute, thinking of this, he felt a pang of panic. If the cup was real, then maybe the Lanting Preface was real too?

At this moment, Tingchi's live stream room was completely in an uproar.

[Holy crap, guys, we've got the real deal!!]

[Host, host, please stop keeping us in suspense! Quickly explain what this is! Isn't it just a glass with two red glass pieces set in it?!]

[I'm speechless! Hearing Chi's reaction, could this thing have just been dug out of some massive tomb?!]

Ting Chi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Seeing the frantic urging from the comments, he knew he couldn't hide it anymore. Besides, this thing was too hot to handle, and he didn't dare to actually swallow it on his own.

He began to popularize science online.

"This cup... if I'm not mistaken, it comes from the Tang Dynasty. And there's no doubt that it was an item used by the Tang imperial family!"

Tingchi pointed at the enlarged cup on the screen and rattled off a barrage of technical terms.

"The material, did you see it when the flashlight shone on it just now? That's called a jade carving with vibrant colors! This isn't glass at all, it's a whole piece of top-quality banded agate with blood-red veins."

"The craftsmen used the natural texture of the agate to carve it into a horn cup in the style of the Sogdians of Central Asia."

"Look at that beast head again. The gold thread inlaid at its mouth uses the finest gold-chasing technique from the Tang Dynasty. The gold has remained unfaded for a thousand years. The most terrifying thing is those two beast eyes!"

Ting Chi slammed his fist on the table in excitement, "That's the finest pigeon blood ruby!!! Gems of this caliber are only ever found among tributes offered to the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty!!"

Tingchi was practically screaming himself hoarse on the other end of the screen.

At this moment, Wang Xi became increasingly alarmed as he listened, a chill running from the soles of his feet straight to his head.

Pigeon blood ruby...gold inlay...animal head agate cup?

Used by the Tang Dynasty imperial family? A priceless treasure?

Wang Xi turned his head with difficulty, his gaze fixed on the large cardboard box.

If what Chi said is true, and if this agate cup that he casually took out is priceless.

So, what about the bronze artifact in the cardboard box?

What about the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion"?

There was also a thick bundle of waste paper... Could it really be the Ming Dynasty banknotes that Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang rewarded him with?

Wang Xi felt a sudden dizziness.

On the screen, Ting Chi was still earnestly advising, "Brother, take my advice. If you open Dudu to hail a ride now, don't take any chances..."

"knew..."

Wang Xi hung up the phone without hesitation.

Wang Xi sat blankly in the chair, clutching the agate cup tightly in her hand.

The dim light shone on the agate cup, reflecting an eerie blood-red glow, as if it were truly a royal token that had traveled from the Tang Dynasty's golden age a thousand years ago and been handed directly to him.

"I think I've really struck it rich this time..."

Wang Xi muttered to himself, his hands trembling violently, a surge of ecstasy completely overwhelming him.